Protective book cover



June 9, 1953 A. BRODY PROTECTIVE BOOK COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July14, 1950 w ls/ INVENTOR A27/402 520m BY E ATTORNEY June 9, 1953 A..BRoDY PROTECTIVE BooK covER Filed July 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mmm WINVENToR.' 427,402 5200)/ xyz i, E

" Arron/Ey Patented June 9, 1953 f UNITED; ySTATES PAT ENT- Y QFFI'CE* fl l "i 2,641,484J- rRo'rEo'rIvE pool; oovER v Arthur BrodyNewark, l ,YApplication Jiy'n, 195o, seria-1i programs My present invention relatesgenerally to book covers, and has particular referencev to the type ofbook cover devicethat'is customarily'applied forv protective purposesvto school books and the hkelm o. y Book coverscomposed of paperare'well-known and have been used for years to shield school books andother books likely to be subjected to extensive use.v They arerelatively inexpensive and easy to use, but they have Aanumber ofdisadvantages. They are opaque and therefore concealthe title andVotherlettering on the book itself; they are not weather resistant; theysoil readily; and they do 'not wear well. l j Attempts to use plasticsheet material in place of paper `has not been'wholly successfulp Thosematerialswhich have sufIicient-body and wear resistance are too brittleand cannot be readily folded. Other materials have a tendency to crack,and because of insufficient tear strength they are easily damaged andrapidly become unsuitable for continued use.- Those plastic sheetmaterials which have adequate 'resistance to tearing and which do notcrack are usually of such limp character that the requisite body andformretaining qualities are lacking. Moreover,v such limp materials donot'retain a crease.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a protectivebook cover of novel structural character, coupling in a unique waythedesirable qualities of both plastic and paper and avoiding most of thedisadvantages heretofore encountered. Y Y

-Another object of the invention lies in the provision of an improvedand simplified procedure for making book covers of this kind.

Briefly stated, the present book cover consists of a laminated sheetformed of outer and inner layers adhesively bonded to each other. Theouter layer is composed of a plastic sheet which is waterproof,translucid and tear resistant, but which is nevertheless too limp toretain a crease or to serve by itself as a satisfactory book coveringmaterial. The inner layer is composed of opaque relatively stiff paperhaving al1 thedesirable attributes of paper, especially the ability` tofurnish the requisite strength and body, the ability to be marked orprinted upon, and the ability to be folded and to retain a crease'.v'lfh'e paper layer has a cut-out which is so positioned that the medialregion of the book cover consists only of a single ply of translucidmaterial through which the spine of the book remains visible..

- One of the principal features of the present invention lies in formingthe paper layer of separated .parts-whicharesegments of an initiallysingle web. `l`fIhis is important because it permits the parts 'to bear"accurately aligned markings formed "by "a single marking impression onthe Wiebf". y

l. Figure 4 is a perspective view ofthe book cover 1n' a foldedcondition" ready'to be applied toaA book;

. Figure 5 isa"diagrammatic plan View of a` preferred procedure inmanufacturing the 'book cover-:,- j', Figure 6 is an elevational view'ofFign5;

` Figureis ay view similar toFig. 5`illustrating amodified procedure; V

Figure 8 isV a cross-sectional View similar to Fig. 3 through a booklcover constructedin accordancewithFig; j v

Figures 9 and `10 are views similar to Fig. 8 showing the way in whichthis book covercan bedadjusted Ito''lt books of varying thicknesses;Figure 11-is aperspective view of a covered Referring first to Figures-1,- 2 Aand 3, the book covery of the present invention-is `asubstantially rectangular laminated sheet vwhich consistsof an outerlayer l 0 of suitable plastic, and an inner layer composed of paperAandl consistingof-the two separated parts Il andl2. y 1 Y f The plasticsheet material may be of any suit able selected character, .and withoutlimiting` the invention to any particular material or group ofmaterials',`j1 may saythat the polyethylene resins, the `vinyl resins,ethyl.. cellulose tand rubber khy droohloride embody kthe qualitieswhich `the .present 'A purposes call for, whereas ethyl acetate istypical of a number of plastic materials which are toov brittle andwhich tend to crack and disintegrate.l Thequalities ywhich the presentplastic sheetmaterial ,should have are resistance to water and weather,good tensile strength, anda ilexibility that resists cracking andatoughness that resists tearing. kThe material need not be unusuallythick -or heavy, and may in fact be relativelymlimp. It should alsopreferably be translucid;

The paper layer'may'be 'composed of sultiv 3 able kraft paper, or anypaper of equivalent stiiness, opacity, foldability, and ability toretain a crease.

Any suitable adhesive may be used for bonding the two layers of thepresent book cover together. Preferably the adhesive should betransparent and colorless, so that printing or other markings on thepaper layer may show through the translucid layer.v v

It win be observed that the parts H and I2 or the paper layer are spacedalong Athe middle of the device so as to form a transverse region I3 inwhich there is only a single ply of the transe lucid sheet. It will alsobe noted that the paper layer has on it two sets I4 and I5 of parallellinear markings. For illustrative purposes I have shown each set asconsisting of threeparallel lines. These groups of lines are arrangedalong opposite longitudinal margins of the bobk cover, serving to guidethe folding of the book cover along parallel longitudinal lines toreduce the effective width of the boek cover to the height of the bookto be covered. The markings on each part of the paper layer areaccurately aligned, respectively, with the corresponding markings on theother, and this is achieved by making the two paper parts II and I2segments lof an initially single web of paper, and by making themarkings of each group segments of a single marking im-` pression.

The features of the invention will become more apparent upon inspectionof Figs. `5 and 6, in which a preferred procedure is diagrammaticallyillustrated. A paper web P is fed from a roll 'or supply IB to andbetween a pair of laminating rollers I'I. Also fed to these rollers,from a roll or supply I8, is a Web P' of the plastic material. The websP and P have exactly the saine width. The glue for the adhesion of thewebs may be applied to either of them, and I have illustratively shown agluing roller I9 adapted to apply a coating of suitable adhesive to thepaper web P. As will be seen in Fig. 5, the roller I 9 preferably con#sists of two parts separated along the longitudinal axis of the web,whereby the' central or medial region of the web is lef't with noadhesive on it.

Prior to the passage of the paper web beneath the roller or rollers I9,it is subjected to the action of a printing roller which applies aseries of successive markings t the web, each marking extendingtransversely across the web. These successive markings are indicatedbythe reference numeral 2`I, and I have illustratively shown each groupconsisting ofy three parallel lines.

After the paper has been marked as yat and has passed beneath the gluingrollers I9, but before it reaches the laminatingrollers I'I, ,it issubjected to the slitting action of a pair of knives 22 which are spacedapart to slit from the web a medial ribbon which is indicated at 23andwhich may be' discarded. The resultant laminated sheet which emergesfrom between therollers I I has a medial longitudinal region whichconsists of only a single ply. v y

Subsequently, the klairiinate'd sheet is subjected to the cutting orshearingy action of a pair of shearing elements 24, serving to c'ut fromthe strip' the successive book covers shown in Fig'- ures 1-3.

In applying the book cover to a book, the longer edges are rst turned inalong parallel lines, as indicated by the folds 25 in Fig. 4. Thisfolding is performed along lines which reduce the effec'- I4 tive widthof the book cover to the height or approximate height of the book to becovered. The groups of markings I4 and I5 help to achieve this result,and the quality of the paper is such that the book cover remains creasedin a highly desirable manner. The opposite ends of the book cover shouldthen also fold inwardly as indicated at 26 and in this condition thebook cover is ready lto be applied tohva book, This is done `in wellknowrashin, 'the front and rear shards of the book being slipped intolsition within the turned back portions 26. Obviously, the translucidcentral region of the present device leaves the spine of thebookexposedto view..y If the region I3 of the book cover is slightly narrower orslightly wider than the thickness of the book, no great harm results;

In Fig'.- 7 the procedure is the same as in Figs. 5

v and 6 and the same reference numerals have therefore been applied,eizcept that the two cutters 22 have been replaced by a single centrallydisposed cutter 2'I; The result is that the book cover consists of anouter layer le of plastic, as before; and of the two parts II' and I2 ofthe paper layer. However, the paper layer remains unat: tached to theplastic layer in the regions 28 lying directly alongside the medial gap;In this way; the translucid part of the cover, indicated I3' in Figs.I9, 19 and 1l, may be varied in width by folding back the parts 28 byvarying amounts, as shown.

The advantages of the present device lie in the fact that it isrelatively inexpensive to make, just as easy to use as the well=knownpaper covers, yet the wearing qualities are greatly enhanced. Thelettering or printing on the spine of the book remains visible, thepaper layer can be imprinted with scholastic insignia or the like, thedevice may be applied to books of varying sizes without requiring anycutting or complicated adjustments, arid the cover affords a protectivesheath which is weather resistant, Washable, durable, and un-V usuallyable to withstand rough and prolonged usage and wear. l

It will be understood that those skilled in the art will readily be ableto make changes in I'r'iany of the details herein described andillustrated, without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as expressed in the appr'ideti claims:

Having thus described my invention and illustra-ted its use, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A protective book cover comprising a lamihated sheet consisting ofadhesively bonded outer and inner layers, the outer layer being composedof a plastic sheet which is waterproof, translucid and tear resistantbut too limp to retain a crease, the inner' layer being composed Aofopaque relatively stiii' paper well adapted to be folded and to retain acrease, said paper layer being composed of spaced parts which dennebetween them a gap so positioned that the medial region of the bookcover adapted to overlie the spine of the book to be covered consistsonly of said translucid rnateriall.

2. A protective book cover as se't forth in claim l, said spaced partsof the paper layer bearing accurately aligned markings that show throughsaid translucid layer.

3. A protective book cover comprising a substatially'rectangularlaminated sheet consisting of adhesively bonded outer and inner layers,the outer layer being, composed of a plastic sheet whichv iswaterproof.- translucid and tear resistant but too limp to retain acrease, the inner layer being composed of opaque relatively stii paperWell adapted to be folded and to retain a creasey said paper layerhaving a gap therein which extends transversely across the midportion ofthe book cover so that in the region adapted to overlie the spine of thebook to be covered there is only said translucid material, the spacedparts of said paper layer bearing parallel linear markings arrangedalong opposite longitudinal margins of the book cover, the markings oneach part being accurately aligned, respectively, with the correspondingmarkings on the other, said markings serving to guide the folding of thebook cover along parallel longitudinal lines to reduce the effectivewidth of the book cover to the height of the book to be covered.

4. A protective book cover comprising a substantially rectangularlaminated sheet consisting of adhesively bonded outer and inner layers,the outer layer being composed of a plastic sheet which is Waterproof,translucid and tear resistant but too limp to retain a crease, the innerlayer being composed of opaque relatively stiff paper Well adapted to befolded and to retain a crease, said paper layer having a gap thereinwhich extends transversely across the midportifon of the book cover sothat in the region adapted to overlie the spine cf the book to becovered there is only a single ply of translucid material, said paperlayer being unattached to said plastic layer in the regions directlyalongside said gap, whereby the width of said single `ply of translucidmaterial may be varied to suit books of various thicknesses by doublingback said unattached regions.

ARTHUR BRODY.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 444,821 Feist/er Jan. 20, 1891 745,475 Barker et al Dec. 1,1903 752,537 Eneas Feb. 16, 1904 949,307 Smalley Feb. 15, 1910 2,052,151Voorhis Aug. 25, 1938 2,105,041 Kafka Jan. 11, 1938 2,122,638 DouglasJuly 5, 1938 2,166,038 Chambon July 1l, 1939 2,232,640 Schwartzan Feb.18, 1941 2,445,871 Brody July 27, 1948 2,508,128 Waarde May 16, 1950FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Jan. 7, 1926

